


bad timing

by tewkesbury



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26939383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tewkesbury/pseuds/tewkesbury
Relationships: Draco/Harry, Hermione/OC, OC x Draco, OC/Oliver Wood, OC/Ron
Kudos: 3





	1. one

Cameron could hardly keep her eyes open as the voice coming from the front of the room echoed off the dark blue walls. Detention. For the third time this week. All because she was caught being a good friend. Okay, well, that isn’t exactly how it went down, but she liked to pretend it was. 

The classroom was completely empty besides her and Professor Snape, who, to be quite honest, she was downright terrified of. She would never admit that to his face, but she was. Most students were. It was early in the semester, about halfway through the first month, so everyone was on their best behaviour, resulting in the nearly empty detention chamber. 

Snape was lecturing her on something she’d been told a thousand times before when the door flew open. As McGonagall pulled the boy into the room, Cameron felt like she would’ve rathered face her darkest fear than sit in that class room for the next hour with him. And she thought her day couldn’t have gotten worse. 

The blonde boy was her co-prefect for the Slytherin house. Head boy and girl were supposed to get along and be the helpful duo for all the other kids, however, Cameron and Draco just couldn’t. They were competing always against each other in everything they did; even though they’re almost always on the same side. 

Take quidditch, for example. Although Draco played Seeker and Cameron played chaser, both for Slytherin, of course, they always seemed to get in eachothers’ ways. Bumping into eachother, yelling, glaring, occasionally knocking the other off their broomstick when they get a little too angry with eachother, it was always something. Their coach had even told them if they don’t sort out their problems before the end of the season, they’re both benched for the cup. 

Neither of them were really sure why they needed to beat the other at everything, maybe it was just in their nature, but that was how their relationship had always been. And now, here they were, sitting two desks from eachother in a small room for detention as Snape complained about what disappointments they were. 

“And that leaves an hour. You two are free to study, or sit in miserable silence. Your choices. No talking to eachother. No standing. No leaving this room. I’ll be back in one hour.” Snape says, and Cameron shot him a glare as he walked out the door, shutting it and locking it behind him. Cameron sat there for a moment before deciding to pull her books out and begin studying. 

Nearly ten minutes of silent studying went by before she turned to Draco. “What’d you do this time? I guess you’re starting to understand ‘prefect’ and ‘perfect’ aren’t the same word, huh?” She says before turning back to her books. Draco sighs at the question, “Not that it’s any of your business.” He replies, continuing with his writing. “Fine, be that way.” Cameron mumbles. 

Five more minutes pass before Draco speaks again. “I punched that awful Krum boy. The only regret I have is it resulting in me being stuck in this room with you.” He finally admits. “Oh shit,” Cameron says, knowing the other wizarding schools were visiting this week. “I’m sure McGonagall really laid into you since this school can’t be seen by others as anything less than perfect.” She closes her potions book. “You have no idea. What about you? Not that I care.” He says quickly, making the girl roll her eyes at the wall in front of her. 

“Potter came by my room at 3 in the morning asking if I could help him and Weasley look for Neville’s wand. Of course they had the invisibility cloak, and I had nothing, but I went anyways. We split up and Snape caught me in the Gryffindor boys dormitory. Got a whole week of detention.” Cameron explains, tapping her pencil on the desk as she does. Something Draco always despised. This time, though, just this time, he would let it go. 

( Cameron sat restlessly in her bed doing some last minute studying for her exam in the morning with nothing but her wand for light. She was hidden under her covers, but she wasn’t entirely sure why considering she had the room to herself since her roommate had graduated and they hadn’t found a replacement. Just then, she heard a loud knock at the door, quickly bringing her attention away from the book. “Hello?” She calls out, checking the clock beside her and seeing it was 3 in the morning. No answer. 

Now slightly scared, she pulled the blanket off herself. Her wand was ready in her hand as she approached the door. “Hello?” She asked once more, hoping whoever was on the other side would respond. “Cameron! Please help us!” She heard, her heart beating quickly now as she rushed to open the door, thinking the boy was in serious trouble. It appeared as if whoever was talking had disappeared into thin air until she realised what was happening. She reached forward, flicking around the spot his forehead would’ve been, and chuckling when he said “Ouch!”

Harry pulled the cloak off of him and Ron, giving her a sweet smile. “What do you two ladies want now?” She questioned, folding her arms over her chest. “Neville was out looking for us and he lost his wand, so we offered to find it. And you’re good at finding things..” Harry began, and she shook her head, starting to shut the door. “Wait!” He said, putting his hand out to stop the door from closing, 

“Please.” He said, and she sighed. “Fine. But god, Harry, we’re nearly 18, I think it’s time to stop sneaking around. This is the last time I’m doing this.” She says referring to the hundreds of times he’s come to her room begging her to help him find something. She closes her door behind her, stepping into the hall and starting to walk with the two boys. Just like that, they were invisible again. “Lumos!” She said, making the tip of her wand begin glowing for a flashlight. “Split up.” she tells them before wandering off down a different hall. 

There it was. Nevilles wand. Right at the end of the hall. She walked quickly to grab the wand, but when she reached her hand out, Snape was standing there to grab it. “Oh come on.” She mumbles as she looked up at the man, knowing how much trouble she was about to be in. )

“That’s what you get for being around Potter. I’m not sure why everyone thinks he’s such a goody two shoes when all he does is get into trouble.” The boy says, closing the book he had hardly looked at since he’d opened it, and leaning back in his chair. “Anyway,” Cameron sighs, not wanting to talk about her friends imperfections. “What’d Krum do?” She questions, looking over at him for the first time since they’d started talking. 

Draco shrugged, “He was saying awful things about some of our housemates. He’s vile.” He says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Oh. What was he saying? About who?” She asks quietly as if Victor himself could’ve been listening. “You don’t need to know.” He says quickly, acting almost as if he was embarrassed to say. “Why? Was it about me?” Cameron asks, now convinced it was since he wouldn’t tell her. 

“You seriously think I would stick up for you like that? Get myself a weeks detention for you? Are you that dull? I’m not telling you because gossiping doesn’t help anyone.” He rolls his eyes, and she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “Okay, sorry.” She mumbled before opening her books back up to continue studying. Draco looked at the girl and couldn’t help but feel kind of bad. He knew he went a little too far and hurt her feelings. 

Not another word was shared between the two for the rest of the hour. The second the clock hit 8:00, Snape was opening the door quickly as if he expected to catch them doing something that wasn’t allowed; like talking. When he realized they were both studying silently, he walked to the front of the room. “You’re free to go.” He spoke, and Cameron packed up her books and hurried out of the room. She wasn’t sure how, but she needed to get out of detention the rest of the week. She couldn’t be stuck alone with Draco again.


	2. two

Finding her way to her seat, Cameron had successfully avoided Malfoy until that moment. She saw him at the other end of the table, letting out a sigh as she sat between her two housemates Adelaide and Daphne. She hadn’t worked up much of an appetite that day, so for dinner all she grabbed was an apple. “Cam,” Adelaide asks, and she raises her gaze from the table. “Yeah?” Cameron responds looking at the girl.

“What’s been up with you lately?” Adelaide asked what the rest of them were thinking, “McGonagall came by the common room asking where you were earlier. Said you’d skipped the prefect meeting?” Cameron sighs, playing with her uneaten apple. She glanced down the table at the blonde boy who was laughing at something Goyle said. “Him?” Daphne asks, “What happened?” She asks curiously. Cameron rolled her eyes, “He’s just,” she shakes her head, “A dick.” 

Cameron explained what happened in detention, and the people around her fell silent after she finished her story. “What? Did I say something?” She asked nervously, and Pansy leaned over on the table. “Krum was talking about you, Cam. I won’t repeat what he said but it was inappropriate and extremely disrespectful. Draco did stand up for you. It was awesome, even the Ravenclaws cheered for him, and I didn’t know half of them were capable of doing anything other than reading.” 

Cameron’s heart dropped at Pansy’s words. That’s why he was so defensive when she suggested it. He didn’t want her to know he stood up for her. Although, her housemates did have a tendency to lie about things like this in order to try and get her and Draco to get along. “That doesn’t sound like him.” Cameron mumbles, then suddenly, there’s a hand on her shoulder. She never liked being touched when she didn’t know who it was or she wasn’t that close with the person. 

“Hey, beautiful. You coming to the game tonight?” Of course. Krum. She shrugged his hand off her shoulder, “Yeah, if I get all my work done.” She says, looking up at him. Her friends were silent. Cameron could feel Draco’s glare from down the table. “There’s gonna be an after party, it’s at some Gryffindor boy’s house. I’d love if you could make it.” He says, and Cameron nods, “Yeah, maybe I’ll stop in.” “I’ll be really disappointed if you don’t.” He grabs her hand, planting a kiss to it before winking at her and strolling back to his seat. 

“I hate him.” Adelaide said, giving him a look as he walked away. “He’s not that bad.” Cameron shrugs, finally taking a bite from her apple. “You’re not really thinking of going to the party to see him, are you?” Pansy asks, making Cameron shrug. She looked down the table and locked eyes with Draco for a split second, until she looked away. From the way he looked, she could tell they weren’t lying. He really did stick up for her. But why deny it?

“Maybe. I don’t know yet. What could he have said that’s all that bad? He seems like a pretty good guy.” Cameron shrugs, standing up from her seat to get ready to watch the game. “I’ll see you guys at the game?” She asks, grabbing her bag, and they all nod. She once again met Dracos eyes as she passes him to get back to her room. She knew what he was thinking, but she didn’t really care. 

About two hours later, she found her friends on the bleachers as the game started. “Who are we rooting for?” Cameron asked her friends as she sat down. “I hate to say it, but Gryffindor.” Daphne says, and Cameron laughs, “They’re not all that bad.” She says, waving to Harry and Ron when they face her direction. They smile and wave back. “I still can’t believe you’re friends with them.” Adelaide says. 

Krum passed the section they were on, winking at Cameron before he turned back to Harry and nearly knocked him off his broom. Cameron scoffed, “Does he think that’s impressive? Trying to hurt Harry?” She mumbled, “If he thinks-“ She began, but was cut off by Blaise interrupting her. “Isn’t that your father? Talking to Snape?” He asked, and Cameron’s eyes darted to where he was pointing. Fuck. Hopefully he wasn’t here for her. “Yes.” She says in a tone that showed she did not want to talk about him. Blaise put his hands up in surrender before sitting back in his seat next to Draco.

The game was close. Every time Durmstrang scored, Gryffindor would score just seconds after, and vice versa. It was 30-33 now, and the game had about 10 minutes left. Until Viktor knocked Harry clean off his broom to catch the golden snitch. All of the Durmstrang students cheered, but nobody else did. Viktor raised his arms in victory before pointing to Cameron and grinning, making her groan. He was not her type, and she wasn’t sure why he thought she wanted him. 

After the game, her and her friends decided they would stop by the party to see their friends for a little while. “I wonder if Draco will be there.” Adelaide asks as they all got ready in Cameron’s room. “Why? Do you like him?” She asks, throwing in her only pair of earrings to look somewhat presentable. “Not for me, silly.” Adelaide rolls her eyes. “You should wear a dress.” 

Cameron turns to the other girls, “I’m not wearing a dress. Especially not if you’re telling me to only to get Malfoy’s attention. If I could go the rest of my life without talking to him again, I’d live a happy life.” She grabs her bag, putting it over her shoulder. “You guys ready?” The girls nod, following her out of the room. “Who’s party is it again?” Adelaide asks, “Deans.” Cameron says, winking at Daphne, making her blush. Cameron and Adelaide both laugh as they make their way to the party. 

Cameron realises Dean’s room was one of the biggest in the castle by far. He did share it with four other students, but man, that room was huge. Students from all four houses filled the room, along with students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. For some reason, she found herself looking for someone she thought she didn’t want to see; but never found him. “Hermione!” Cameron called when she saw her, slipping through people to give the girl a hug. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, how have you been?” Hermione asks. 

Cameron smiles as someone placed a freshly made drink in her hand, making her laugh. “Pretty good, and yourself?” Hermione shrugged at the question, “The usual. Stressed. Trying to get all my classes sorted out, figuring out how much time I need to study so I can ace all my classes.” Cameron laughed, taking a sip of the drink. “Sounds about right. How’s Ron?” She smiles, making Hermione blush. 

“Great. He’s...” Hermione nods, “Things have been great between us. How’s Viktor?” She asks with a smirk. Cameron rolls her eyes, “I don’t even like him! Why does everyone think I do?” Hermione laughs at the distressed tone, shrugging, “He seems to like you.” She says, motioning to the drink Cameron was taking her fourth sip of. 

“Oh.” She says, lowering it from her mouth, “He gave me this?” Hermione nods. “It’s his last night here,” The brunette shrugs, laughing afterwards. “Hermione!” Cameron exclaims quietly, “I am not sleeping with him!” She says, and then there’s an arm around her shoulder. Again, something she hated. “Sleeping with who?” Viktor said, and Hermione giggled. “No one.” Cameron says, taking another sip of the drink. 

“You like the drink, huh?” Viktor asks with a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I’m going to be honest, Krum.” She says, stepping back and shooing Hermione off. “I don’t like you that way. I’m sorry. You really do seem like a nice guy, but I’m not looking for anything right now.” Cameron explains, starting to feel slightly light headed as she spoke. “This is because of that Malfoy kid isn’t it? The one who gave me this?” Viktor asks, motioning to his black eye.

“No! Oh god, no!” She exclaims, “You do realize he’d probably do this to you, right? Make him a little too angry just once and this could be on your face next.” He yells at her, making it sound almost like a threat. “Please stop yelling,” She mumbles, rubbing her temples as her head begins to pound painfully. Probably just the loud music, she thought. 

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I just wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.” He says, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I could take good care of you, you know that?” His words sounded jumbled, and she could hardly make out what he was saying. Probably because of her headache, she assumed. She went to take another sip of her drink before stopping, “I could make you a whole bunch more of those, angel.” He offered, and she stopped to look at him. 

The whole room was spinning now. Her stomach turned as colours danced around her eyes that she knew weren’t really there. “What’s in here?” She mumbled, stumbling over her words and holding up the cup. “My secret recipe. Does it matter? Let’s go back to your room, you don’t seem well.” He says, putting a hand on her waist. “What’s. In. The. Cup.” She repeats, and the question seemed to make him a little nervous. 

This couldn’t be happening, she thought. It was just the alcohol. It was just the loud music. He wouldn’t do this. With every passing moment her sobriety faded. More colours danced around the room that was spinning at a million miles an hour. Her head pounded over and over again, as if her consciousness was knocking on her skull trying to get her to sober up. Viktor’s arm was around her to help her stand as he walked her out of Dean’s room. She felt herself becoming weaker as the minutes went on. 

“Alright, then, love,” Viktor said once they were out of the party and into the quiet hall, “Wheres your room?” He asks, and Cameron could hardly muster up the strength to answer. Viktor took her to the girls dormitory in the Slytherin house, and looked on each door till he found her name. “Krum,” She mumbled, trying to push him off of her as he took her into her room, “I’ll take good care of you, Cameron. Don’t worry.” He said, and suddenly, his lips were on hers. 

If she had been sober, she knew she would’ve started crying. She whined as he pushed himself against her, and from what she could make out, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He continued to kiss her while bringing her to her bed. She tried to force any conscious thought into the front of her mind. She couldn’t think straight, and she could hardly move. She knew she needed to get out. “I’m gonna.. I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” She slurred her words as she spoke to him. 

She wasn’t sure why he trusted her enough to go, but he did. He backed away from her, “Don’t be long.” He warned as she walked out of the room. She turned, fiddling with the doorknob to try and lock it. These doors locked from both sides because of the strict professors, and for privacy reasons. As soon as she heard the click of the lock, she began crying softly. She didn’t have long before Viktor would’ve come looking, probably used a spell to get out of her room, and go to the girls bathroom since that’s where he thought she was. 

All of her friends were at the party, but she couldn’t manage to get back there in time. She had just one more idea. She stumbled down the hall as quickly as she could, turning the corner till she reached the boys dormitory. She hoped he knew this was her last resort. She stood there, in front of his door, knocking weakly as tears ran down her face. She began to notice bruises on her arms and legs she hadn’t seen before. The door swung open, “What do you-“ He began with a disgusted tone, then stopped when he saw how she looked. 

She was shaking at this point, and she wasn’t sure if it was from the drug Krum used, or because she was scared. She’d been crying the last couple minutes as she made her way to his room, and bruises spotted all over her body, probably from Krum being too rough with her, but she couldn’t remember for sure. “I had nowhere else to go.” Cameron’s voice was weak. She felt completely helpless. Viktor’s voice began booming through the hall, calling out her name. 

Draco quickly pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her and locking it. He didn’t need to ask what was happening. He knew. This was exactly what Krum had said he would do before Draco punched him. Cameron stood there, trembling, and tears slowly rolled down her face as she heard Viktor continue to call her name. Draco wasn’t sure what to do at first as he listened to Krum. He wanted to run into the hall, pull out his wand, and scare him off for good. Then, he realized he could always deal with him later. 

He wrapped his arms tightly around the shaking girl, who quickly hugged back. “It’s okay,” He whispered, “He’ll never find you in here. You’re safe. I’ve got you.” Draco said as he rubbed Cameron’s back softly. Cameron felt so weak as she stood there, crying into his shoulder, like it wasn’t as big of a deal as she thought it was. But she was so scared. “I’ve got you.” Draco repeats quietly, and despite the circumstances, her being drugged and Viktor still calling her name outside, she felt safe.


	3. three

Cameron walked out of potions class with her housemates, laughing at something Daphne had said. “This project is gonna be so annoying.” She sighs, and the rest of her friends agree. Her potions professor had explained that everyone will be partnering up for a project this week, and whenever there were partners, it didn’t go well. Slughorn always chose the worst pairs of people he possibly could. 

“Cam,” Adelaide said, grabbing the girls shirt to stop her. “What? Is everything okay?” She asks, giving her friend a worried look. “Look.” Adelaide whispers, pointing to a man walking in their direction. Cameron’s father. “Not now, oh god.” Cameron whispers, trying to hurry away but he catches up. “Hello Daphne. Adelaide.” He greets. “Hi Mr. Grey.” They respond in unison. “Maybe I borrow my daughter for a moment?” He asks, and they look at eachother. “We were actually just heading to lunch, can it wait?” Adelaide asks. 

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long. She’ll meet you there.” He says, and Cameron’s heart began to race as the other two girls nodded. “We’ll see you in a minute.” Daphne said as they passed her, whispering an ‘I’m sorry’ to her before they both disappeared into the crowd of people. 

“Not here. Please.” She pleads, almost silently, to her father. He pulls her into an empty hall, and she shakes her head, “I can’t.” She tells him before he speaks. “He’s counting on you. We’re all counting on you.” He begins, and she closes her eyes momentarily. “I’m not going with you. I’m not like you, no matter how bad you want me to be.” Cameron says with anger in her voice. “You can’t deny blood, Cameron.” “I can, and I am. It’s not my fault I’m-“ She says, catching herself before she finishes. “It’s in your DNA. It’s just you and me to keep his legacy when he’s gone.” 

“What don’t you understand? I don’t want to carry on his legacy. What I want is for him and everyone who stands for him to be locked away in Azkaban.” Cameron’s lip stuttered with anger as her dad sighed. “Your mother would want you to join us.” His words made the girl want to scream. “No. You don’t get to bring her into this. You don’t get to talk about her like you know what she would want.” She shakes her head, tearing up. 

“I loved her too, although I know you don’t realize that. I did what I had to do. She was going to kill my father.” He explained what Cameron had been told a million times. “So you killed her?” She screamed, earning looks from people down the hall. “Leave me alone. I’m not joining you.” Cameron said quietly, her voice breaking as tears ran slowly down her face. 

She began to walk away when he grabbed her arm, “I would keep an open mind.” Her father says, “You’re lucky he let me come first. He didn’t plan on conversing. He wants to take you by force. I’d watch out if I were you.” And with that, he was gone. He used a spell to disappear into thin air, probably back to whatever hideout the death eaters were in. 

She stood there for a moment, processing the previous seconds. She took a deep breath before letting out a quiet sob, putting her back to the wall and sliding down it until she was sitting on the floor. She knew if she rejected him any longer, he would kill her. He couldn’t have her on his enemy’s side, he knew how powerful she could be against him. She had no idea when he would come for her, but she knew she needed to hide. But for the next few days, she would have to focus on her classes. 

—

Cameron sat in potions class the next day, tapping her pencil on the table as she replayed her conversation with her father over and over in her head. She hadn’t paid any attention in her classes today, she was far too worried about the brewing war that was going to take place in the next week or so. 

“If everyone could focus,” Slughorn announced, and Pansy nudged her since he was obviously calling her out. She stopped tapping her pencil, setting it down. Her face turned slightly red with embarrassment as everyone looked at her. “For this project, I will be choosing the partners.” He says, making everyone groan. Everyone always hated the pairs he set up. He pulls out his parchment and begins reading down the list of pre prepared pairs. 

“Daphne Greengrass, you will be with Gregory Goyle.” She looked like she wanted to sink into the ground when he said that, but he didn’t care. “Luna Lovegood with Stephen Cornfoot, Pansy Parkinson with Dean Thomas,” He continued down the list, and Cameron began to zone out, back into her thoughts until her name was called. “Cameron Grey with Draco Malfoy,” Slughorn said, and almost everyone in the room looked at the two of them. 

“There must be a mistake-“ Cameron said, and Slughorn shook his head, “No mistakes. The parchment doesn’t lie.” He shakes his head, continuing down the list. There was no way she could handle being his partner. Not with everything else she was going through, she didn’t wanna have to deal with him too. “You sure you’ll be alright?” Adelaide asked quietly, looking over at Draco, who also had a look like he’d rather die. Cameron nodded slightly, “I’ll be okay. Thanks.” She sighed as Slughorn finished off the pairs. 

“And now for the assignment!” He said, and none of them had even realized they didn’t know what it was yet. “I will be giving you all a list of general ingredients and measurements for a potion. It is your job to perfect it, and find out what the potion exactly is along the way. It’s not perfectly explained in your textbooks, so it’s up to you all to find out. Come back in two days with the correct potion and objective of it, and you’ll pass the assignment.”

Almost everyone groaned. They all hated projects like that, it was almost impossible to perfect a recipe you didn’t know half the ingredients or measurements to. Or, even what you were making. “You’ll have the rest of class time to split off and begin working.” He says after handing everyone a sheet of parchment with what he said he would give them. 

Everyone stood up and began to split off with their partners until just Slughorn, Draco, and Cameron were left. “I’d love for you to stay, I would, but I need to grade some assignments. If the two of you wouldn’t mind finding somewhere else, it might make it easier for all of us.” He says, and Cameron glances over at Draco. They both sigh, and stand up. They grab their belongings and follow eachother out of the room. “I’ve got a place.” He says quietly, leading her up the stairs. 

Ever since the night she went to him while hiding from Krum, things were just awkward between them. They stopped trying to beat eachother at everything, and she wasn’t sure if it was because they both knew about the war and it was useless to have a rivalry anymore, or because something changed between them. They hadn’t spoken a single word to eachother since he brought her to her room, laid her down in her bed, locked the door and left without a word. Should she thank him for that? Or should she pretend it didn’t happen like he was doing?

He led her up to the astronomy tower, up to the very top room that was completely empty except for the telescope and a bench. The sun made the room bright, but when it was nighttime it was completely dark. Cameron pulled out the ingredients and the mini cauldron she kept in her bag. Last week, she finally got Hermione to teach her the undetectable extension charm for it, which really did come in handy. “Any ideas?” Cameron asks, trying to make conversation as she follows the little directions given. 

Draco shakes his head, taking a seat on the small bench as Cameron adds the first three ingredients. She pours the potioning water into the cauldron, feeling around in her bag for the next ingredient. She finally grabs them, the ashwinder eggs, and adds them to the mix. Then, rose thorns. “There’s no measurement for these.” She sighs, grabbing the container of them. “Just do a handful.” Draco shrugs, watching her do it. “If we get it wrong we’ve got all of tomorrow and half of the next day.” 

“I don’t know about you but I’d quite like to not spend two days on this. I want to get it done.” She says, and he nods a little. She added the handful of rose thorns, then Draco added the rest of the ingredients which she helped measure out. She stirred the mixture, falsely hoping that would be successful and they’d be done. Nothing happened. “Wait a minute,” She said, “Usually rose thorns are mixed with peppermint, but there wasn’t any peppermint on the list. What if that’s it?” She says curiously, giving him a small grin.

“You’re a genius.” He said, standing from the bench, “Lets go get some.” Cameron says, grabbing a small piece of paper and writing “Don’t come in! Busy with potions assignment!” Before attaching it to the front of the door. They head back downstairs to the ingredients cabinet. “Draco?” She says, playing with her hands as they walked. He looked over at her, waiting for what she had to say next. “I never got the chance to thank you for... you know. I know we’re not exactly friends, so I hope you understand I didn’t have anyone else to go to. I’m sorry if I bothered you, but it really did mean a lot to me that you were there.” She sighs. 

“Don’t worry about i-“ He begins, but is cut off by Cameron’s voice. “Oliver. I didn’t know he was visiting.” She says, and Draco looks over at her, nodding slightly when he realized she was too distracted to listen to the rest of his sentence. “Maybe he can help us?” Cameron says, smiling at the brunette before waving him over. He pulled her into a tight hug, “I haven’t seen you in so long.” Oliver says, and Cameron nods, hugging back equally as tight. “I know. You need to visit more.” She sighs, pulling away from the hug. 

Draco clears his throat, “Don’t you two know what’ll happen if a professor catches you? You do remember how much trouble you got in when you were both students, don’t you?” He says, sounding annoyed as always. “Oh.” Oliver says, looking between Cameron and Draco, “I’m sorry, truly, I didn’t realize you two were-“ He says, and the other two both exclaim “We’re not!” in unison.

Oliver chuckles, “Then I don’t see the problem. Besides, it’s not like we’re snogging. I’m graduated, I’m here to help coach the quidditch tournament this weekend. The professors can’t give me detention anymore.” He and Cameron both laugh, but Draco just scoffs. “Alright, then, get on with your coaching.” He says, and Cameron sighs, “Actually... We were wondering if you’d help us with our project.” She says, giving him a smile. 

“Depends which class. What’s the project?” He asks. “Potions. Slughorn gave us a list of ingredients and measurements, but we’re missing some. Also, we don’t know what potion it is.” She explains, and Oliver laughs. “If it’s the same one he gave us my seventh year, I know what it is. I’ll help with the ingredients, but I’m not gonna tell you what the potion is. That you’ll have to do on your own.” He grins. Draco rolls his eyes, “Let’s get this over with.”

Cameron was right about the peppermint, but what she didn’t know about was the powdered moonstone. Draco stirred slowly as it simmered over the fire. “So what have you been up to?” Cameron asks Oliver, who began explaining everything about his university and new friends. “Draco, you really need to lay off the cologne,” Cameron says before letting Oliver continue. “Says you, your perfume has been giving me a headache for the last ten minutes.” Draco replies, and Oliver stops his sentence. 

“What? Are you okay?” Cameron asks as Oliver’s eyes flick between the two of them. “That’s about all the help I can give you guys. I’ll leave you to it, then.” He says, a small sadness in his voice as he spoke. “Oliver, wait,” She says, and he gives her a smile. “I’ll see you at the tournament.” He says before heading off down the stairs. Cameron stood there, looking at the empty space where Oliver was standing just seconds ago. “That was weird.” She says, “He’s a freak. Are you surprised?” Draco responds. 

“Why do you always do that?” Cameron asks, now annoyed with the blond boy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looks up at her, a look in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. “Every time I talk about anything or anyone I like you always have to shut it down like it means nothing. I don’t get it!” She exclaims, throwing her hands into the air. “You have to realize just because you’re miserable and can’t find joy in anything doesn’t mean nobody else can.” She says, her feelings now genuinely hurt. 

She wasn’t sure why she cared so much what he thought, or why he always did that, but it was just getting annoying after all these years. “Please, Draco. Just tell me why. Is it really because you’re jealous I can actually be happy about things and you can’t?” He continued to stir, ignoring her completely. 

“And again, can you please lay off the cologne?” She says angrily, the strong fumes giving her a headache. He looked up at her, realizing she was smelling it and not just complaining about how he usually wears it in class. “I’m not wearing any.” He says, no longer stirring. He looks down at the potion, “When was the last time you put on perfume?” He asks, her questions from seconds ago now gone from his mind. 

“This morning. Why does it matter?” Cameron says, crossing her arms, still annoyed with the boy. “Your perfume doesn’t last that long. I know because I hate it, and it finally goes away after defense against the dark arts.” He explains, making Cameron scoff. “What if the potion makes itself what your partner smells like?” Draco questions, “I don’t think consuming it would be a good idea considering we don’t know if we got the recipe right, but maybe we could go talk to Slughorn.”

“That doesn’t sound like it would be a potion.” Cameron says, sighing as she covers the cauldron so she doesn’t have to smell it anymore. “Least we can do is ask.” He shrugs, picking up the cauldron and carrying it down the stairs. Cameron follows closely behind. It took them a few minutes to get back to the classroom where Slughorn was waiting for them.

“It might be done, it might not be.” Cameron tells the professor while Draco places the cauldron on his desk. Slughorn opens it up, swirling it around with his mixer and smiling. “Incredible! The recipe is perfect. Now, tell me what the potion does exactly.” He says, and Cameron puts her hand on the side of it. “We’re not exactly sure. We think it has something to do with smelling like your partner for the project. Maybe some sort of temporary polyjuice potion for the person closest to you? I mean.. distance wise.” She explains, and Slughorn grew a small smile on his face as he looked at the two. 

“You mean to tell me the potion smelled like eachother? For both of you?” He asks, and the two nod, “Is that bad?” Cameron asks. Slughorn shrugs, “I guess that’s up to you two. As for what the potion is, my apologies, but you didn’t get it right. You can either turn this in and get a B, or keep working to figure out the objective and work for an A plus.” The two looked at eachother again. “We’ll keep working.” Cameron says, feeling slightly defeated. She had no idea what the potion could be.


	4. four

Cameron made her way up the tower, running her fingers along the handrail as she walked. She was supposed to be meeting Draco five minutes ago, but she had run into Oliver again and decided to talk for a minute. She reached the top, opening the door and seeing him sitting there, staring at the potion. “Let’s just hand it in. It’s due in thirty minutes. We’re never gonna figure it out.” He shakes his head, sighing. Cameron looks at the frustrated boy, then at the cauldron. “Alright.” She agrees, not wanting to argue and cause a problem. 

“My dads going to kill me if I get any less than straight A’s.” He says under his breath, not meant for her to hear but she did. “Yeah, I’ve kinda got the same thing going on. Dads, right?” She asks, trying to lighten the mood with a little smile, but he just sighs. She takes a seat across from him, playing with her fingers. She had the feeling he needed to talk, and although she probably wasn’t the one he wanted to talk to, she was there, just as he had been for her when she needed him most. 

“My dad tells me if I don’t get straight A’s I’m not welcome home, and I’ve really got nowhere else to stay. This stupid project could cost me my family.” He says quietly, so quiet she almost didn’t hear him. She figured that was the point. “For me it’s the opposite. He’s trying to get me to... come home..” She pauses, trying to figure out a different story than what’s really happening, “But this is my home. These people are my family, and I don’t want to... give them up.” She shrugs. 

Draco looks up, his eyes meeting hers. “I saw him the other day. Your dad. He was talking to Snape,” He begins, “I didn’t hear much of the conversation besides something about you joining him?” He questions. Cameron’s face turns hot. She wishes she could disappear. “Yeah, he’s... going on vacation. Trying to get me to come along.” She makes up on the spot, and Draco had a feeling that wasn’t the truth. 

“You know, don’t you?” Her voice drops, her eyes glued to the floor as her fingers nervously dance around eachother, “What’s coming?” She whispers, looking up at him. He was silent for a moment, the look in his eyes all she needed to know that he understood. “I don’t want to join them for the war.” He admits, looking to the side. “Not at all.” 

“That makes two of us.” She says, her eyes unable to pull away from his face as he looks out the window. “I’ve heard rumours.” He says, his voice low like he was trying not to cry, “They’re gonna kill everyone who doesn’t join them. We’re no exceptions.” Her eyes closed after he spoke, like when she opened them she’d wake up from this nightmare. “Voldemort is coming for me. Sometime in the next few days. I have to join him or he’ll try and kill me, just like everyone else. But I think if I fought him I’d have a chance.”

Her eyes were now wandering out the window, while his were on her. “You’re not serious, Cameron. He’ll kill you. You have to join them or you have to run. You can’t fight him.” He says, and she shakes her head, “Draco, there’s a lot about me you don’t know.” And with that, her alarm goes off. He lets out a sigh, “I guess we should get to class.” She says. “Meet me here tomorrow night. I don’t think our conversation was quite finished.” He tells her before taking the cauldron downstairs. 

—

“Most of you got the potion correct,” Slughorn praises, “Excellent job. For the few of those that didn’t quite get it, any last guesses?” He asks, looking around the room. Draco and Cameron share a look, before they both shrug and turn back to the professor. “Alright then. The potion is Amortentia!” He announces with a grin. Cameron’s face turned bright red. Amortentia. The love potion. “Those of you who corrected the potion may have smelled that of which you most desire, or who of which you most desire.” He explains. 

“Something most unusual happened yesterday, something in all my years of teaching I’ve never seen happen. Two students, partners, came to me with the proper potion and explained that the scent it had for them was.. well.. eachother! How ironic is that!” He said, and Cameron buried her face in her hands. The class all gasped and began to laugh when she did that, realizing who Slughorn was talking about. 

The potion couldn’t have been right. There was no way. She didn’t like Draco, and she definitely didn’t desire him. And him desire her? Absolutely impossible. She was completely silent for the rest of the class, as was Draco. She wondered if she should still meet him tomorrow night. 

As soon as class ended, she stood up and hurried outside. About thirty seconds later, the whole class was following her down the hall whistling and making jokes about her and Malfoy. She figured he was following her, and they followed him. “Cameron,” Draco calls, and she sighs, turning to face him. “I have to get ready for the match. You do too. We can talk some other time.” She tells him, and he nods with a sigh, letting her disappear down the hall. 

She entered her room, burying her face in her hands and letting out a loud sigh. There was no way this could end well. By tonight, she was sure everyone in all of hogwarts would know about their project. She wished there was a way to make everyone forget without casting an obliviate spell on every student. Then, she heard a knock at her door. She grabbed her quidditch uniform from the dresser. 

“Come in.” She says, and in walks Hermione, Harry, and Ron. “Is it true?” Hermione asks, not able to keep quiet after she shut the door. “God, how has it already gotten out?” She asks, “We must’ve screwed up the potion. There’s no way. We’ve never liked eachother. I haven’t been able to stand him since I was young.” She explains, crossing her arms. “Amortentia doesn’t lie. Besides, I think we can all tell deep down you at least think he’s cute.” Ron teases, making Cameron shoot him a glare. 

“This is so embarrassing,” She says, putting her hand on her forehead. “At least its both ways, right? So you’re both embarrassed and not just you. Besides, people are scared of Malfoy so they’ll get over it.” Hermione says, and Harry agrees. “We can start new rumors to take the load off you.” Harry says with a grin, and Cameron laughs. 

“I should get ready for the game. I’ll see you guys after?” She asks, and they all nod. “We’re studying in my dorm if you’d like to join.” Hermione says. Cameron nods with a smile, “Yeah, I think I will!” The three others walk out of the room, wishing her good luck for the game before disappearing down the hall.


	5. five

It was 30-33, and there were about five minutes left in the game. Slytherin was down. Every move they made, Ravenclaw was one step ahead. Cameron made a sharp turn on her broom to take the quaffle from a ravenclaw player. She looked around, and there was no sign of their keeper, Draco, or the snitch anywhere. She was their only shot. She shoved the boy, just enough to take the quaffle, but not enough to knock him off his broom. 

She swerved around a chaser, making her way to Ravenclaws goal. The crowd was screaming, her teammates were cheering. She was so close. Within the blink of an eye, she threw the ball towards the goal, and some sort of collision happened in front of her. The crowd gasped, and then cheered as the quaffle went through the goal. They’d won the game. But two players were pummeling towards the ground. 

Cameron hurried down on her broom, trying to catch them before they hit the ground. She was able to grab both of their hands, but she wasn’t strong enough. They just pulled away so they didn’t pull her down too. And then they hit the ground. She hadn’t even seen who it was until that moment. Her feet touched the ground, and she rushed to help the two boys. 

The Ravenclaw boy was Patrick Figar, a seventh year chaser who she’d only met once or twice, and the Slytherin was... of course. “Draco!” She says worriedly, putting her hand on his shoulder as he groaned in pain. His arm was very clearly broken, “Oh my god,” She says, panicking now. Patrick seemed to be in a lot of pain too, but nothing was visibly broken. “Okay, okay, here,” She says, her heart racing. “Patrick, can you stand?” She asks, and the boy nods slightly. “I’m okay.” He groans. 

If she had to guess, she would’ve said Draco’s arm was broken before he fell. It must have happened when they ran into eachother. The fall wasn’t very far, and the position he landed, it would’ve been hard for him to break his arm that specific way. Patrick stood up, dusting himself off. But Draco, on the other hand, looked like he was about to pass out. No nurses or medics seemed to be coming any sort of quickly, so she had to do it herself. 

She grabbed his good hand, putting it around her shoulders to help him stand up. She groaned as she stood, carrying his weight on her side. “You’re okay, it’s gonna be okay,” She says, noticing the blood coming from his ear and nose. He was shifting in and out of consciousness, and he was almost impossible for her to carry. He was about 6 inches taller and 50 pounds heavier than she was, but she was making it work. 

After what seemed like hours but was really only minutes, the medics reached the field, helping him onto the stretcher. He looked up at her as she grabbed his hand, “Are you okay?” He asks weakly, and she nods, “Oh my god, yes, I’m fine. But you aren’t. I’ll meet you in Madame Pomfrey’s.” She sighs, squeezing his hand. He nods, “I’ll be okay.” He says before they wheel him off. 

She stood there for a moment, watching them carry him away. The medics told her they were sure he had several broken ribs as well as the broken arm. She frowned as her teammates crowded around her. “I can’t believe he took that hit for you.” Blaise says, and Cameron furrows her eyebrows. “What?” She asks, turning and looking up at him. “You seriously didn’t see?” She shakes her head, “Obviously not.” “Figar was coming straight for you. He was set to knock you straight off your broomstick and take the quaffle. Then out of nowhere, Malfoy came in and the two of them just collided. It would’ve been you if he hadn’t.” He shrugs. 

Cameron rubs her arm as she looks at the ground, rolling up her sleeves. She rubbed her head before looking back up at Blaise, “Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?” She asks, giving everyone else gathered around a small glare. Blaise nods, taking her arm and pulling her away from everyone. “If you’re going to ask if he likes you, I’m not sure, to be honest.” He explains, “I wasn’t-“ She begins, then sighs in defeat. “I feel like it should be obvious. That stupid potion screwed everything up.” Blaise nods at the statement. 

“Yeah, that’s pretty awkward. If you want me to talk to him, I will. Just figure out how he feels.” He offers, and she chews on her bottom lip. “It’s just stupid. It doesn’t make any sense. We don’t like each other, not even as friends. We never have.” She shakes her head. Blaise shrugs, “Maybe the two of you have grown past your hatred. Maybe making out or something will help the both of you.” He grins annoyingly, and she hits him on the shoulder, “Blaise!” He laughs. 

“I’m gonna go check on him. Can you talk to him when he’s better?” She asks, and he nods. “Sure thing. I’ll come find you when I’ve got your answer.” She gives him a small smile before pulling him into a hug. “I hope he’s okay.” She says. Her and Blaise had always been pretty good friends since year 1, he always looked out for her. She appreciated him a lot, especially in times like this. He hugs her tightly, “He’ll be okay. He’s the strongest guy I know.” He chuckles, and she pulls away, nodding. “I’ll see you later.”

Cameron stands in the doorway of the infirmary, waiting for Madame Pomfrey to tell her she can come in. “Come on, dear. He’s doing quite alright.” Pomfrey waves her in. Cameron nods, walking over and standing over his bed. She pursed her lips sadly as she looked as his bruised ribs and cast on his arm. “I’m sorry, Draco. It should’ve been me.” She frowns, and he gives her a small smile. “It was my choice. You have nothing to apologize for.” He says, looking up at her. “How are you feeling?” She runs her fingertips over the bandage on his chest.

“I’m alright. My arm should be better by tomorrow with the potions she used. 3 broken ribs, but I’ll deal with them.” He smiles. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him genuinely smile in her direction if it wasn’t an accident. He had a nice smile, she wished he showed it more. “I seriously owe you.” She places her hand on the side of his face as he looked up at her, running her thumb over his cheek. No. She needed to stop. She couldn’t seriously like him. Right?

“We never finished our talk.” She said, pulling her hand away gently. She took the seat right next to his bed, looking at him. “When you’re all better we can go to the astronomy tower. I’ll tell you what you need to know.” She says, and he nods slightly. “I’m okay. Really. I just wish the would do the spell on my arm and give me the clear already.” He sighs. “Shes scared of damaging the muscle, though.” 

“Can magic mess that up?” Cameron asks, frowning as she looks at his arm, “I guess it’s better she doesn’t risk it. I wouldn’t want you getting any more hurt.” Madame Pomfrey walks up to them after checking on a different patient. “I think it best we let your arm heal itself overnight. Let the potion do it’s thing. In the morning, we’ll use the spell.” She explains. Draco nods. “Your arm is broken in 4 different places, so it might be pretty painful tonight if the anti inflammatory potion wears off. If that does happen, give me a shout.” 

Cameron frowns, her hand grabbing his to try and make sure he wasn’t in any pain. He squeezed her hand softly, reassuring her he was okay. “Thank you, Madame. Really.” He thanks her, and she gives him a smile. “That’s what I’m here for, dear boy. Now get some rest, the both of you, it’s nearly 10.” She says, “Stay as long as you’d like, miss Grey.” Cameron nods a little and smiles softly. “Thank you.” About an hour later, the two ended up dozing off with their hands still in one another’s.


	6. six

Luckily for Cameron, by the next day, everyone had seemed to have forgotten about the potions incident. It had been a couple days since Draco took the hit and broken his ribs and arm. He was almost completely healed now, which made Cameron feel a lot better. But for some reason, they hadn’t spoken since she woke up with her head on his hospital bed and their hands intertwined. He had thanked her for staying with him, but that was it. She went off to class, and they hadn’t crossed paths since. 

She didn’t know what to think. Not that she really had time to think, given the fact Voldemort could come to collect her at any moment. She still had no idea what to do about that either. She sighed as she left her defence against the dark arts class, walking down the hall and back to her dorm when she saw him. The death eater she had always been terrified of. Coming right for her. He was going to take her. She looked around, looking for any way to get away from him.

Her heart raced as she speed walked down the hall, her head spinning as she passed people she knew asking if she was alright. She had nowhere to go. She could feel him gaining on her as her hands shook, searching for an exit that she knew wasn’t there. 

Then, her eyes met his. Only a few feet away from her stood the boy, and she knew what he had to do. He gave her a small smile as she began walking towards him, turning away from his friends. She grabbed his hand, pulling him into her. Her hands cupped his face before their lips connected. He was taken aback at first, but only a second later, his hands were around her waist, pulling her closer. 

She’d seen it in a movie her muggle born friend had made her watch. PDA makes people uncomfortable. Nobody will bother you if you’re kissing someone. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him even closer to ensure the death eater would leave them alone. Their lips moved in perfect sync as she ran her hands into his hair. Then, she pulled away slowly. Her heart was racing. Her forehead rested on his as she looked up into his eyes. 

“What was that?” He asked with a smile. “Sorry. Won’t happen again, Wood.” She teased, looking away from his brown eyes. She saw a crowd around them, taking pictures, videos, and whatever else they could. “You guys really don’t understand privacy, do you?” Cameron asks, and they all laugh. “Seriously, Grey, you can’t just kiss a guy like that without an explanation. What came over you?” He asks, and she sighs. Was she supposed to tell him the truth? 

She opened her mouth to talk, but as she did, she noticed a familiar head of platinum blonde hair shove past Oliver and head down the hall. “Watch where you’re-“ Oliver began, then noticed who it was and stopped talking. Not that Draco would have heard him, anyway, given the fact he was already all the way down the hall. “It was to make him jealous.” Oliver sighs, thinking he understood what happened. “No!” Cameron exclaims, “I’ll explain, I just... Don’t be upset with me, okay? Meet me in my room in an hour.” She tells him, and he nods in response. “Go get him.” He mumbles sadly. Cameron felt horrible, but she nodded and jogged off down the hall. 

“Stop!” She says as he continues walking, even after he sees her chasing him. “Jesus, Malfoy, stop walking!” She sighs, and he finally does. “Shouldn’t you be snogging Wood? Don’t let me stop you.” He says, facing away from the girl. “It’s not like that.” Cameron says. “You two sucking each others faces off doesn’t seem like it could be like much else.” He says. “I don’t give a damn. I never did.” His voice was raised now, and she couldn’t deny he scared her. 

“My dad just wanted me to get information out of you. Wanted me to convince you to come to our side.” He explains, making her heart drop into her stomach. “Oh.” “Told me the only way Voldemort would trust me is if you did. Because there’s something you’ve been hiding, isn’t there? You’ve got a connection to him.” He turns, walking towards Cameron. “Draco, please.” She begs quietly, “They don’t need to know. Please.” Tears fill her eyes, anger bubbling up in her throat as he stands just inches from her. 

People were walking past, no doubt listening to the argument. “I think everyone should know your dirty little secret. You were never fooling anyone, Cameron Enigma Grey. Where’d that middle name come from, then? Named after your grandfather, maybe?” He says, looking into her eyes. She was shaking, trying to figure out what to do to get him to stop. Tears fell down her face, “What about the potion? You were lying. You knew what it was and pretended I was what you smelled.” She looks to the side, coming to the realization the past two weeks of what she thought was getting along with him was all a lie. 

“I could never love you. You’re the granddaughter of the most vile man on the planet.” He says through his teeth. “That’s right. Tom Riddle is your grandfather, isn’t he? Voldemort himself. And not only that,” He says, grabbing her jaw. She puts her hand on his wrist, squeezing it to try and get him off of her, “He never even fell in love. He impregnated a woman for the sole purpose of his bloodline living on. You’re nothing but his legacy.” People around had stopped walking, looking at us. 

“That’s not true. That’s not-“ She cries, tears streaming down her face as he pushes her backwards. “You’re disgusting.” He tells her. Her classmates and fellow students began to scream. Everyone was suddenly terrified of her. But the only thing the girl could focus on was the two men appearing from the shadows, each grabbing one of her arms before the three of them evaporated into the dark.


	7. seven

Cameron’s hands were tied tightly behind her back, her legs strapped to the chair she had been forced into. They had been holding her for a few days now, locked up in dark rooms, occasionally bringing her out when they have their horrible meetings. Unfortunately for her, Voldemort’s preferred hideout just happened to be the Malfoy’s house. They were planning on executing the final battle in two days. During the meantime, they needed to perfect their plan. 

All of the death eaters, including her dad, and Voldemort, sat around the gigantic dining room table. Draco hadn’t spoken to her since their fight when he told all of hogwarts she was related to Voldemort. She thought if he had tried to talk to her, she might have done something she’d regret. She knew one too many curses for him to try anything of the sort, or come anywhere near her. 

“Ah, my beautiful granddaughter.” Voldemort says, stroking Cameron’s cheek. “You two might make a nice pair under different circumstances.” He says, motioning to Draco when he noticed her looking at him. Cameron’s cheeks burned as she looked away, the dark lord’s hand still on her face. “Who of the students should we look out for? Besides Harry Potter, of course.” He says, and the whole table laughs besides her and the blond boy. She couldn’t figure out what was funny. 

Cameron ignored the question, trying to shy away from him as much as she could. “We can do this the easy way,” The pale skinned man says, grabbing his wand. “Or the hard way.” The wand was now at her temple. She shut her eyes tight, swallowing hard as her heart beat out of her chest. He gave her a moment to decide, but when she opened her eyes she saw dementors swirling above her head. 

She was terrified. They grew closer and closer, her skin growing goosebumps as the temperature dropped a few degrees every second. “Expecto patronum!” She yelled, breaking from the ropes and imagining the last time she saw her mother. The last time she was genuinely happy. A shimmering blue dragon appears from her wand, the dementors disintegrating into white sparkles as her patronus engulfs them. 

She stood up, closing her eyes tightly before then herself disappearing into thin air. She apparated to London. The first place she thought of, the place she grew up. She hugged herself as she hurried down the street, trying to warm herself up from the cold. It was then she realized she had no money and nowhere to go. The air sent a chill down her spine, the crisp wind on her bare arms making her shiver. Snow fell slowly as she passed a crowd of people, whispering “Accio wallet!” when she passed a woman with an expensive purse. 

The wallet floated right into her hands, making her smile. She opened up the leather, seeing hundreds of dollars in the pouch. She wondered why anyone needed that much cash. Cameron made her way to the closest motel, booking herself a room with heat as fast as she could. Once she made it in the room, she quickly shut the blinds and locked the door. She looked around the room as she turned. It wasn’t much, but it was something. At least there was heat, she thought, finally warming up. The girl fell back into the bed, and despite the situation and how scared of begging found she was, it only took her about a minute to fall asleep. 

-

Cameron woke to a soft knock on her door, but it was enough to scare the daylights out of her. They’d found her, she thought. This was it. She jumped to her feet, shakily holding her wand pointed at the door. Her heart pounded as she slowly backed up towards the wall. She had no idea what they would do to her if it really was them. She began to feel lightheaded, drops of sweat dripping down her face as she waited for their next move. 

“Hello? Cam, I know you’re in there.” The voice nearly made the girl jump out of her skin. It was familiar, though. Friendly. It was Hermione. Cameron ran forwards, quickly opening the door. She wanted to burst into tears at the sight of the girl. “How did you find me?” She asks, choking back tears. “Remember when we cast the navigation spells on eachother’s wands? You know, in case either of us was ever in trouble?” Hermione explained with a smile, pulling the girl into a hug. “How did you escape?” She asks curiously. 

“They had me tied up.” Cameron said, pulling away as tears began to run down her cheeks. “He asked me which wizards to look out for, they’re- they’re bringing the fight to Hogwarts. I didn’t tell him any names, so he sent the dementors after me.” She says, rubbing her face. “I broke the ropes around my hands and cast my patronus, then apparated here.” Her voice was shaky. Hermione could tell she was terrified. “It’s a good thing you’re so strong.” Hermione said softly, giving her a smile. 

“How about I go get us some food and we talk, alright?” Hermione offers, and Cameron nods a little. “If you’d be okay with that.” She wipes the tears from under her eyes, sniffling back more. “Alright, I’ll go grab some takeout. You stay here and put some on the television. Relax until I get back.” She set her bag down on the chair after grabbing her wallet out of it. Cameron watched as she left, sighing as she was alone again. She flicked on a random channel, sitting back on the bed while she waited. 

About ten minutes later, the doorknob started to rattle. Cameron stood from the bed, expecting it was just Hermione with her hands full. She opened the door with a smile, “That was fast-“ Her voice dropped when she saw who was standing there. “No. Please.” She whispered, looking at the boy with terror in her eyes. “I just need to talk to you. They don’t know I’m here.” Draco said, avoiding eye contact. 

“Haven’t we done enough talking? For both of our lifetimes?” She exclaimed, “I don’t know what you want, but I’m never going to trust you again. Ever.” She says coldly, and he shakes his head a little. “I know.” He says weakly, stepping inside, shutting the door. “How did you even find me?” She exclaims, her hand clutched tightly around her wand just in case he decided to try anything. “I knew Hermione would come to you. I cast a tracking spell on her. Just listen, please. I know I don’t deserve it. But I believe I can help you out.” He offers. She wanted to shove him back outside and lock the door. 

“What?” She asks, crossing her arms and looking at him with an emotionless glare. “I know a place we can go. My parents own a house in Paris,” He begins, his eyes never breaking hers, “We haven’t been in years. I’m not sure they’re aware I know it exists. We can take the next train there, and disappear until the battle is over. Harry can kill Voldemort, we just need to trust that he will.” 

“You’re seriously asking me to run away with you? After telling all of Hogwarts my deepest darkest secret? You lost me nearly all of my friends. You’re nothing to me. Get out.” She says, tears filling her eyes, waving her wand at the door to motion for him to leave. “I know... I know it’s not an excuse. But I only did it because,” He begins, sighing and shaking his head, “Nevermind. I’ve rented a flat just down the street. If you change your mind, just let me know.”

“No. You’re gonna tell me why you did it and then you’re going to leave. You’re not getting off that easy.” She says angrily, at this point just annoyed with him. “You probably ruined my entire life in the wizarding world. I lost all my friends. Professors don’t trust me. The ministry is looking for me. And you’re gonna tell me why.” She says, never breaking eye contact. “I like you.” He spits out, “A lot. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before, and I fucking hate it.” He shakes his head. 

“What are you talking about? You’re just lying again. Get the fuck out.” She says sadly. She really believed he would tell her the truth. “It’s true. Ever since that night you came to my room when you were hiding from Krum, I’ve realized it. I laid you on your bed and you just looked so...” He began, his eyes locked to the wall, “For the first time in my life, all I wanted was to kiss you. But I couldn’t. I knew that. You were still drugged and you had just been through all of that stuff, it would’ve been incredibly stupid on my part to take advantage of you like that just because I had the urge to.”

Cameron shuts her eyes, holding back tears as he continues to talk. “I hope you know I don’t do this, talk about what I’m feeling,” He says, and Cameron rolls her eyes. “But when I saw you kissing Wood, something inside me just broke. Nothing was holding me back from the anger I’d been burying for so long. I never lied about the potion, I really did smell your perfume.” He says, still not meeting her eyes. 

“Get out.” She tells him through her teeth, “I’m not falling for it.” She shakes her head, opening the door and pushing him outside. Draco finally met her eyes, and for just a second, she saw a look she’d never seen before in him. Guilt. He really did feel bad about everything, didn’t he? Or was he just a good liar? “If this is real. If you aren’t lying, I hope you understand why I’m acting the way I am.” He nods, putting his hand on the doorframe. “Radley on 3rd, room 13A. Please tell me if you change your mind.” He says, pulling the door shut and disappearing off down the street and into the snow, heading back to his rented flat.


	8. eight

“Draco found me.” Cameron says as they both eat their food. Hermione freezes, “What?” She says, concerned. “Did he come here? Did he threaten you?” She asks, and Cameron shakes her head. “The opposite, actually. He did come here. He offered to run away with me, said his parents own a house in Paris they haven’t been to in years. He said we could disappear until the battle is over.” She says, rubbing her forehead. “After what he did to you?” She exclaims, “That’s what I told him.”

“Well are you going to?” Hermione asks, shutting her food container and setting it aside. “He told me he likes me.” Cameron sighed, looking at the girl, “As if that doesn’t make everything a hundred times worse. Couldn’t he have just not told me? God, he only thinks of himself. I don’t want to run from Voldemort. I want to fight him. My feelings for Draco, no matter what they are, don’t matter anymore.”

“Draco... Like, the Draco Malfoy... Told you he liked you? Like to your face?” Hermione asks, confused, “Yeah, shocker than anyone could like me, right?” Cameron says, kind of annoyed at the question. “No- I mean, as far as I’m concerned he’s never liked anybody at Hogwarts before. Like, ever. And if he has he hasn’t told them. So you must really mean a lot to him.” She shrugs. Cameron’s face turned red. “What are you saying? I should go with him?” Cameron asks, and Hermione gives her a small smile. “Maybe it’ll be good for you guys. It’ll keep the both of you safe, and you won’t have to fight against us.”

“But I want to fight with you guys! I don’t want to run!” She exclaims, visibly stressed. Hermione puts a hand on Cameron’s shoulder, looking her in the eyes. “I’d rather you be safe than risk it and stay to fight with us. We can hold our own, we’ve got this. I’m sure nobody will be upset if you’re safe. I’ll tell the others, and I’ll send you an owl when it’s all over with.” Hermione offers, and for the first time, Cameron really considered it. 

“You can always come back, Cam. Paris isn’t too far, you can be back in a day.” She says, and Cameron plays with her hands nervously. “Okay.” She says, and Hermione smiles, “Excellent.” They both stand up, hugging eachother tightly. “Stay safe. Please.” Cameron says, closing her eyes. “Oh, don’t worry about me.” Hermione says, pulling away from the hug. “Keep your wand on you at all times. Call me if you need anything. I’ll tell Harry and Ron where you are.” Cameron nods, “Thank you, ‘Mione. I’ll see you soon.” She grabs her bag as Hermione nods and walks out the door. 

Cameron cleaned the room a bit before exiting, leaving the key at the front desk before hurrying off down the street. Radley on 3rd, she remembered. She turned the corner, heading towards the huge building with ‘Radley’ painted on the front. Entering the front door, she walked up to the desk. “Could you point me in the direction of 13A?” She asks the old woman, who didn’t seem to hear her. About twenty seconds later, she looked up from her book, pointing down a hall. Cameron rolled her eyes, “Thanks.”

She stood there for about a minute, looking at the wooden door before her, still not completely sure she wanted to do this. She had no other choice, she thought. The death eaters would find her soon. But what if it was a trap? What if Draco was still working with them? She supposed it was a risk she was willing to take. 

She knocked softly on the door, rubbing her arm as she waited for a response. The door creaked open as he peaked through the crack, trying to see if she was any danger. He opened the door fully once he saw it was her, “You’re here.” He says in awe, looking at her as he stands frozen in the doorway. “I’ll go with you. But if you do anything suspicious that may lead me to believe you’re working with the death eaters, anything at all, I’m leaving, and I’m never talking to you again. Ever.” She warns, and he nods, “Of course. I know what you think of me, Cameron, but I’m really not that horrible. I explained to you why I blew up the other day. I’ve got our train tickets, it leaves in an hour.” He steps out of the way so she can come into the room, which she does. 

“You must be freezing. Here, take this, I’ve got an extra.” He says, handing her a jacket that had been hanging on the door. She gave him a look, like putting the jacket on would somehow sabotage her. But she really was freezing, so she did it anyways. “Thanks.” She says awkwardly, not really sure what to say to him at this point. “We should probably be off, the station will be busy this time of day.” He says, looking at the alarm clock on the desk. He grabs his bag and the last of his things from the room before they both head off to the train station.


	9. nine

The train ride was long and boring, but once Cameron saw the house they were about to stay in, it made it worth it. “Oh my god.” She says, staring in awe at the beautiful black mansion in front of her. “Nice, isn’t it?” He teases, unlocking the front door and stepping inside. He let her inside before shutting the door behind them, “This is crazy.” She runs her fingers along the wall leading down towards the kitchen. “Would you like a tour or would you like to figure it out on your own?” He asks, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I think I’d get lost if I wandered off on my own.” She says, looking at the designs on the ceiling. 

Draco knew it wasn’t much, but the thought of her wanting him to stick with her made him smile just a little. “Come on, then.” He says, walking down the hall before her. He showed her the kitchen, the bathroom, the dining room, the living room, the game room, and the in home theatre. Because why wouldn’t they have one? “Before we leave we need to watch something in here.” She says, and he nods. “Let’s go upstairs.”

The second floor was somehow even more beautiful than the first. The halls were decorated completely in white and black, giving the house an incredibly clean look. “You can either stay in this room,” He says, opening a door and letting her look around. “Or this one.” He walks into the second room, flicking the lights on as he did. The second one had a queen bed, a flatscreen tv, a bookshelf, and basically everything else you could dream of having in your room. “I figured you’d like this one more.” He says as she stands there in awe of the giant room. That’s when she noticed the sign over the bed that had ‘Draco’ painted on it. 

“Oh, no, that’s okay you can keep it. It is your room. I’ll take the other one!” She says, walking out of the room. “No, really, I’ll sleep in my parents room. Besides, I’ve got bad memories in this room, I don’t like to sleep in here anyway.” He shrugs, and she nods a little. “Are you sure?” Cameron asks quietly, taking off the jacket and setting it on the bed. “I wouldn’t tell you to take it if I wasn’t sure.” He rests his hand on the dresser, “I know you don’t have any clothes besides those, so we can go into town and shop around sometime today if you’d like.” 

Cameron looks up at him, “I..” She sighs, “I don’t have any money.” She says awkwardly, rubbing her arm. “Cam, do you see this house? My parents give me a credit card with no limit. They can spare a couple hundred dollars. Besides, the hell my dad has put you through the last couple days, I wouldn’t feel guilty taking his money if I were you.” He shrugs. Cameron nods, “Speaking of, when I got into that fight with them the first night after they captured me, I turned to dodge a spell of his and didn’t make it in time.” She explains, “Could you just put some bandages on the cut for me? I tried yesterday because it really stings but I couldn’t reach.” 

“Yeah, of course. We’ve got a first aid kit in the bathroom, I’ll go grab it.” He says, and it made her laugh a little when he walked further into his room to get there. Of course he had his own bathroom. She pulled her shirt off, wincing in pain as the fabric rubbed her wound the wrong way. She tried to see in the mirror, but had no luck. Draco came back out of the bathroom with the first aid kit in his hands, feeling his face heat up a little when he saw she didn’t have a shirt on. 

“How bad is it?” She asks, sitting down on the bed with her back facing the boy. “It’s not great. It looks a little infected.” He says, “This is gonna sting.” He warns, pouring rubbing alcohol onto a cloth and patting the wound gently. Her face scrunched up in pain, her shoulders tensing as she let out a groan. “I’m sorry, I know it hurts,” He says, feeling horrible about what his dad did to her. He grabs the bandages, taping them onto the wound, and sitting back. “Better?” He asks, and she nods, looking back at him, “Yeah, thanks.” She says quietly. 

He was only inches from her, sitting behind her on the bed with his hand on her waist he’d forgotten to remove. Their eyes were locked to each others, and for a split second, her eyes darted to his lips, then back to his eyes. She imagined what it would be like to kiss him, but she also wasn’t completely sure about her feelings for him. If he really did like her, and this wasn’t all a trick, she didn’t want to lead him on if she didn’t feel the same. That was when she found him and herself leaning in, so slow it gave her enough time to jump off of the bed. “So, umm, do you wanna go shopping?” She asks, and he sighs softly before nodding. 

She puts her shirt back on, looking at herself in the mirror and crossing her arms. “I’m not really dressed to walk the streets of Paris, but I guess it’ll be okay.” She laughs a little at her tattered shirt and jeans. She looked like she’d just been in a street fight. “I’m sure my mother has a dress you can wear, if you’d like.” “Really?” She asks, looking at his black suit and realizing she should probably wear a dress. Draco nods, grabbing her hand and pulling her down the hall. They went up one more flight of stairs, revealing the third floor which was entirely the master bedroom. 

“I can’t believe you just own this house.” She says, shaking her head in disbelief at how large the room was. It was bigger than the entirety of the downstairs in her house. He laughs a little, walking across the room to his mothers closet. “Take your pick. She hasn’t worn any of these in years.” He says, letting her look through the dresses. She pulled a dark blue dress off the hanger, holding it up to her figure to see if it would fit. “Would this look okay?” She asks, and Draco nods, “Yeah, it would.. it would look okay.” She smiles, “Okay, I’m gonna try it on then.” 

He gets the hint, telling her he’ll be downstairs. She tosses her clothes aside, putting on the dress that fortunately fit her perfectly. She ran her hands down it to smooth it out, smiling at how it looked in the mirror. After finding a comfortable pair of shoes that were just a bit too big, she headed off down the stairs to meet Draco so they could leave. He looked her up and down as she walked up to him, not speaking a word to her. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” She teases, laughing. He rolls his eyes, handing her the jacket she’d left upstairs. She gives him a smile, “Thank you. Shall we?” She asks, motioning to the door. 

Only ten minutes later, they were in the middle of the city. Cameron had never been, but ever since she was little she dreamed of going. It was just as beautiful as she imagined it. “Wow.” She says as they walk, taking in all the beauty. “Cool, right?” The boy asks, spotting a store a few blocks up his mother used to take him to as a child. “There, let’s start there.” He says, pointing to the shop. 

Never in a million years did the girl think she would be roaming the streets of Paris with the boy she considered an enemy just weeks ago. There was one point during the night he spotted a churro stand, and his face lit up a way she’d never seen it before. It was like every worry melted off his face, like he was a kid again. Of course, it was only a simple churro stand, but the way he looked when he saw it made Cameron believe he thought of it as something different. 

“I was 11.” He begins, still looking at the stand across the street, “My father had to go back to London for business. It was just my mother and I for a few days, staying at the house. She took me here for the day, took me shopping, got me new dress robes, and we came here. She got me a churro, the first one I ever had. At the time, it was the best thing I’d ever tasted.” He explained, and Cameron began to wonder where the story was going. 

“She told me that one day, maybe her and I could buy a house of our own, here in Paris. Without my father. And that she’d buy me all the churros I wanted, seeing as my father never let me eat sweets. She gave me hope she would leave him, but I don’t think she ever will.” He says, his eyes finally breaking contact with the churro stand, looking at his feet. 

Cameron didn’t know what to say. She knew exactly how it felt, having a mother too good for her father, but she didn’t feel it was the right time to say that. Instead, she sighed heavily, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. He hugged her tightly, his face falling into the corner of her neck. “I’m sorry.” She whispers softly, running a hand over his hair. After a minute, she pulled away, looking up at him. “Maybe one day.” She says, repeating what his mother told him, “Maybe one day she’ll leave him. She deserves better. You deserve better.” She says quietly, pushing his hair out of his face. 

That was when she knew, standing there, looking up into his polar blue eyes, seeing him the most vulnerable he’s ever been in front of her. She wouldn’t rather be standing on the streets of Paris with her arms wrapped around anybody else in the world. “Draco, I think... I think I-“ She began softly, then felt the familiar buzz of her phone singing from her pocket. She sighs before stopping, grabbing her phone and reading the name. “It’s Ron,” She says, “I’m sorry, I have to answer. He never calls me.” He nods, giving her a little space to take the call. 

“Hello?” Cameron asks, hearing heavy breathing on the other end.   
“He’s...” Ron begins, his voice cracking as he speaks, “Cam, it’s Harry.” Cameron’s heart drops, “What about him, Ron?”  
“He’s dead. Harry’s dead.” Cameron freezes, unable to process what she was hearing. “That’s not possible.” She whispers, tears forming in her eyes, “No- No, he can’t be-“ She continues, “What happened? Tell me what happened, Ron.” 

“Fred, too.” He cries softly, “And Lupin, and Tonks. You have to come back.” He says, and her heart sank into her stomach. “We’ll apparate, Ron, I’ll be right there. Don’t worry.” She says, starting to cry now too. “But that’ll wear you out, Cameron. That’s so dangerous.” He says, sniffling back tears. “It’s okay. You guys need help, I’m coming.” She wipes the tear off her cheek, “Okay. I’ll see you soon.” Ron says, hanging up. 

Cameron closes her eyes, burying her face in her hands. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Draco asks, stepping closer to her. “We have to go home. Voldemort already attacked. Harry’s dead, Draco.” She says, and as soon as the words left her mouth, she let out a sob. Harry had been her best friend since she started at Hogwarts. She couldn’t fathom the fact he was gone. Draco looked just as shocked as she was, sighing before pulling her into a hug. “We’ll go back.”

Cameron nods, pulling away and looking up at him. “Ready?” He asks, holding his arm out for her to grab. They disappeared from the alley, into the magic realm she hated oh so much. It made her nauseous every time. At some point along the way, she got separated from the boy. She could still make out his figure only feet away from her, but she couldn’t get back to him. The black abyss around the rush of wind made the girl feel so empty. She’d never been in there for more than a couple seconds. Cameron wondered what it would be like to get lost out there. Maybe somehow that reality would be better than her own.


	10. ten

Colors danced before her as she felt her stomach begin to turn. And then, she landed. Right next to Ron, with Draco nowhere to be seen. She looked around for a moment to try and find him, but he must have gone somewhere else in the castle. “Ron.” Cameron says, hugging the redhead tightly. “You’re here!” He says, hugging back like he was about to lose her too. “They’re still out there, the death eaters.” Ron tells her, and she sighs. 

“Stay here. I’ll see you in a little while, just... just stay safe. I’m not losing you too.” Cameron says, placing a hand on his face to reassure him even if no one else was okay, she was. He nods before watching her jog off down the hall. Cameron made it outside what she thought was just in time, as Hagrid carried Harry’s seemingly lifeless body towards the rest of them. It wasn’t until that moment Cameron realized she, embarrassingly enough, was still wearing Narcissa’s dress. But that was the least of her worries. 

Voldemort begins to laugh at the sight of Harry, turning back to everyone else as Ginny begins to cry. “Harry Potter... is dead!” He exclaims proudly, and Bellatrix laughed. Then, so did the rest of the death eaters. Cameron stepped forward as Voldemort told them they could never beat him. “You see? Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!” Voldemort says, making Cameron’s blood boil. How dare he speak about Harry that way. 

She drew her wand at the man, making the rest of the crowd gasp. “My own blood. Turning against me... What a shame, together we could be so powerful.” He says, pointing his wand at her. “We may have the same blood, but our similarities end there.” She yells, her heart racing in her chest as the other death eaters aim their wands at her. “Oh, my dear girl, that’s where you’re wrong.” Cameron’s father says, stepping into the conversation. “You and I... We are exactly like he is. Whether you like to admit it or not, it’s simply the truth.” 

“Don’t you dare speak to me!” Cameron screams at the man, turning and aiming her wand at him now. “You killed my mother! The only good thing in my life... you took away from me.” She says, tears filling her eyes. “And now,” Cameron takes a deep breath, “I’m going to take away the only good thing in his.” She motions to Voldemort. She waves her wand, blue lightning shooting from it and hitting her father directly in the chest. Instantly, the man collapsed. People from both sides screamed in fear. She froze, looking at her fathers body. She couldn’t believe what she’d done. Part of her wanted to scream, cry, run to him, try and bring him back. The other part, the stronger part, stood where she was, ready to fight the man who ruined her life before she was born. 

“I see the fire in your eyes, my girl.” Voldemort says, sighing at the sight of his sons body. “You and I both know this fight should end. Come to me, darling. We can win this together. I need you. You need me.” He says, opening his arms as if expecting the girl to run into his arms and join him. Tears fell from Cameron’s eyes as she watched him walk towards her. “Stay back.” She warned, “I mean it.” 

“Cameron, enough!” Hermione screamed, but Cameron ignored her. “One more chance, Cameron Grey. Just one.” Voldemort says, and his voice rings in her ears as she thought about it. No, she thought. She promised herself she would never end up like him. “Avada Kedavra!” She screamed, but at the same time, Voldemort did too. Their magic collided, his green and her blue fighting to kill the other. The death eaters took the opportunity to rush forward, making their second attack.

Sweat dripped down Cameron’s forehead as she held her wand in place, knowing if she let go, she would die. She let out a desperate yell, pushing her wand forward towards his. The blue had the advantage now, the green dwindling to nearly nothing until Cameron was tackled. The strike of green lightning missed her completely as she saw Harry on top of her, “Oh my god.” She cries, “You’re alive.” He gives her a small smile before standing up to face the dark wizard. 

Within a minute, fights were broken out, screams rippled through the castle as Cameron tried to muster up the strength to stand. Between apparating 400 miles, and trying to kill the dark lord himself, the girl had grown quite tired. Harry and Voldemort were nowhere in sight, and she couldn’t see anyone she recognised in the fights around her. She finally stood up, rushing through the halls to make sure her friends were okay. 

The explosions around her made her head pound and made it nearly impossible to focus on where she was going. Her knees were bloody, her arms covered in bruises from hitting the concrete when Harry tackled her. She looked a mess.

When she saw him, all of her thoughts melted away. Whether or not she wasn’t going to make it out of this alive, he needed to know how she felt. He was probably a hundred feet away, clearly looking for somebody. 

Cameron pushed past a few people fighting, pausing when she saw Harry and Voldemort about halfway between them. The two were circling eachother, both casting spells that never seemed to hit the other. Cameron watched as Bellatrix hit Ginny with a spell, then saw Mrs. Weasley step in. The two fought for a minute, until Molly eventually turned Bellatrix to stone. The awful woman blew away into dust, and Cameron knew she had to keep moving. “Draco!” She yells, trying to slip through some more people. 

She just had to get past Harry and Voldemort now, but she knew if Voldemort saw her, he would kill her. The blond boy didn’t seem to hear her when she called his name two more times, so she knew she had to get to him. Cameron waved her wand, making the ground beneath Voldemort set on fire to distract him. She made a run for it, trying to hide behind as many people as she could until she made it to the other side of the circle. 

“You’re not getting away this time!” Voldemort yells, just after Cameron finally makes eye contact with Draco. He stopped looking, and stood there with his eyes on her. She must have been who he was searching for. An explosion erupted just in front of her that was so loud it blew her eardrums out. The world was spinning around her, trying to regain the sight of Draco, but she lost him. The sounds around her were muffled, but she could tell everyone was screaming. “Cameron!” Was the one thing she could make out. She heard Draco yell her name, and finally found him again. He was still behind the crowd of people, but he looked terrified. 

That was when she felt it, the dull aching pain radiating from her stomach. She looked down, swallowing hard at the sight. Her dress was ripped wide open at the torso, revealing the wound covering nearly her entire stomach. There was blood everywhere. So much blood she wasn’t even sure where the wound stopped and the rest of her started. It looked straight out of a horror movie.

She began to feel lightheaded, trying to stumble forward to get to Draco, but she knew deep down she never would. The weird thing was, she wasn’t in any pain more than the dull ache, and that was what scared her the most. The next thing she remembered seeing was Voldemort laying on the ground, completely lifeless. Harry was laying next to him, shifting slightly but he was definitely alive. He had done it. Voldemort was dead. Harry had defeated him, and Cameron could hardly keep her eyes open as she smiled. The pain was gone now, as she fell towards the ground. She never got to feel herself hit the concrete, just as she never got to tell Draco how she felt.

Harry let out a wretched yell when he turned and saw her there. He yelled her name, but it did him no good. He rushed to her side, trying to stop the bleeding but he knew it was hopeless. Draco finally pushed through the crowd, looking around at everyone’s faces to find Cameron when he saw they were all looking at the ground. He followed their gaze, his eyes settling on the girl. His stomach twisted with unease. He turned around, stumbling back towards the crowd, looking at everyone staring at him. He didn’t even feel like he was really there. It couldn’t be, he thought. It wasn’t possible. Everyone around him asking over and over if he was alright. Truth was, he felt about exactly how he looked. Like he was about to be sick. He couldn’t even turn back around, just the thought of her body lying there made him feel dizzy. He couldn’t see her again, not like that. He passed Hermione in the crowd of people as she rushed to Harry’s side, letting out a horrible sob when she saw Cameron’s body. She fell to her knees, grabbing her lifeless hand and continuing to cry. “Who did it?” Harry yelled to the crowd, “Who set off that explosion?” 

Nobody answered. They just stood there, staring at Harry. He stood up, watching the crowd of people part for the blond boy who stumbled off looking very ill. Harry put a hand on Hermione’s shoulder, letting her know he’d be right back. He heard McGonagall telling everybody to clear out as he passed through the crowd, finally making it to Draco who had stopped walking and had his hands on the window frame. Harry put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, making him turn around. They met each others eyes, and Harry didn’t care about their past as he pulled him into a hug. Harry knew Draco needed somebody. They both lost her, and nothing else mattered to him. Maybe for the best, Harry thought, not one Riddle survived that day.


End file.
